


The Mind in the Bones

by supergayjo



Category: Bones (TV), Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: B&B, Behavioral Analysis Unit (Criminal Minds), Crossover, F/F, F/M, Jeffersonian Institute (Bones), Jemily - Freeform, garcia and angela flirt, working together
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:00:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29203233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supergayjo/pseuds/supergayjo
Summary: Three young men were found dead. A politician is putting pressure on Booth and his team to solve these murders. Caroline Julian decides to ask the help of the Behavioral Analysis Unit.ORFanfic inspired by the thread I made on twitter about a CM/Bones crossover.
Relationships: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss, Seeley Booth/Temperance Brennan
Comments: 26
Kudos: 77





	1. Help Needed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Like I promised, here’s my criminal minds/bones crossover. If you only watch cm or bones, and you know at least the plot of the other show and the faces of the characters (google is ur friend), you can understand & enjoy this fanfic. I really really hope you’ll like it. I’m putting a lot of time into this (not that i’m complaining) and i have done a lot of research to try and not say stupid things. Of course, I don’t know the US legal system and I'm not a scientist/genius/entomologist/anthropologist but I’m trying to educate myself. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!  
> Also as usual when I post a fanfiction, I created a playlist that I listen to when I write. It’s a mix of the Bones & CM soundtracks :) here's the link : https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4cBOKvu4J55fXjjKOHJs5n?si=KKt067hVRYaeKRCmSoD_PQ

It was the end of February, the warm weather was slowly coming back, spring was around the corner. It was only 8 in the morning and the sun was already up, the city was awake, ready to start the day. 

Brennan, Booth and Sweets were having breakfast at the royal diner. 

“So you’re telling me that if you never thought about doing something else for a living?” Booth seemed surprised by what his partner had just said.

“Why would I think about something else when I’m so good at my job? A lot of people depend on me, on my research, on my brain. It would be a great loss in the forensic department if decided to leave.” 

“Yes I know Bones, but let’s say people didn’t depend on you, what would you do?”

“Yes but that is impossible, I just told you. It would be a waste of my time to imagine something else.” Brennan shrugged. 

Sweets intervened and said “Actually, it’s not stupid, a lot of people daydream, it helps dealing with the harsh reality of this world. They create a safe space, where they can imagine anything without taking risks. Psychologists use it a lot to help people with social anxiety. And even if you don’t have anxiety, it can be fun to just imagine yourself in a total other situation. For example, I like to imagine myself as-”

The scientist stopped him and said “I don’t need to imagine anything.” 

“It’s just for fun Bones. I do that all the time, if I wasn’t working in the FBI, I would maybe be a teacher, or a cook, or maybe -”

“You’d make a terrible teacher Booth” chuckled Brennan. 

Booth was about to say something else but stopped himself when he saw someone opening the door of the diner. Much to their surprise, Caroline Julian stormed in. She saw them at their usual table, she immediately walked towards them and sat down next to Brennan, facing Sweets. She looked at the three of them. 

“Why are you here?” asked Brennan, directly staring at her. 

She seemed serious. “We have a problem”. 

“What’s going on?” asked Booth as he put down his fork, he was done with his pancakes anyway. 

“Congressman Daniel Adams called me this morning, he needs this case closed as soon as possible, he doesn’t want the media to learn about it, and he feels like it’s taking too much time.”

“Well we’re doing the best we can, he’s gonna have to wait.”

“Except that we can’t, there’s a killer on the loose, and it’s been more than three weeks and he keeps killing, it doesn’t seem like he’s gonna take any vacation. I’m going to call in a few favors and get you some help.” said Caroline, taking her phone out of her pocket. 

Booth slightly leaned down on the table, looking straight into Caroline’s eyes “Look, Caroline, you know me, I don’t do well with new partners, I don’t need any help. I have Bones, I have the squints, we’re close to a breakthrough, I can feel it”

“Look, chéri, I admire this “lone wolf” attitude of yours, but my ass is on the line and yours is too. I don’t know about you but I like my ass. So you’re going to shut this pretty mouth of yours and accept all the help you can get. Okay?” 

Booth obeyed and didn’t say anything. It was Caroline Julian, he knew there was nothing he could do to make her change her mind. 

“And if I remember correctly, you and Brennan couldn’t bear to be in the same room at first, but now you’re basically married.” said Caroline with a smirk. 

“We’re not married, you know that.” said Brennan, confused. “Why would you say that?”

Caroline waved her hand “Nevermind. I’m just going to call my friend at the BAU and they’ll come save you”.

Booth’s eyes widened in horror. “The BAU? Caroline please don’t, don’t do this.” 

Meanwhile, Sweets started smiling and said “I can’t wait to meet them, they’re like the A team of the profilers, I have so many questions for them”. He was more excited than a kid on Christmas morning. 

“Calm down Sweets or you’re gonna pass out” said Booth, annoyed **_._ **

“Why do you hate the Behavioral Analysis Unit?” asked Brennan, frowning. 

“Because they all act like they’re above us”

“They are” said Brennan, with a shrug. 

“What?” asked Booth, offended. 

“Well aren’t you on the fourth floor? The BAU headquarters are on the sixth floor.”

“That’s not- That’s not what I meant Bones.”

Brennan shrugged and finished her waffle. “That’s not like they’re going to be a good help for us, the truth is in the bones, that’s it. I’ll find the killer, I don’t even need you”. Her tone was neutral, as usual. 

“Well, that’s not completely true, I’m the muscles”

“My gun is bigger than yours”

“Are we going back to  _ that _ ?”

“It’s just a fact”. 

“You guys, stop. They could actually be really helpful, David Rossi, one of the special agents was my teacher in college, he’s really talented and competent”

Caroline shushed the three of them. “Quiet now.” 

She dialed a number on her phone. It rang twice and the person picked up. 

“Hi Jennifer, it’s Caroline Julian, you know from the self defense course, yes-”. 

Booth choked on his coffee. “Self defense?”

Caroline covered her phone with her hand and whispered “Like I said, I like my ass and I intend to protect it in any way possible, now shut your mouth”. 

She uncovered her phone “Yes Jennifer, sorry. I know you work at the Behavioral Analysis Unit. We need your help.”

Brennan could hear the woman talking on the phone. 

“What do you need?” 

“I need your team. The FBI and the scientists at the Jeffersonian Institute are working on a highly important case, and we need to act quickly, and we need all the help we can get.”

“I mean, we need to be invited by the local authorities to investigate, I don’t really know what we can do-”

“Listen chérie, I can get you anything you need if it means you and your team can come here and help us.”

“Send me the file with all of the infos, I’m not the liaison anymore but I’ll see what I can do, alright?” 

“Thanks chérie”. 

Caroline smiled and hung up. She grabbed Booth’s muffin before getting up and leaving the diner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That’s it for today guys. I'm really tired so I hope there weren't too many mistakes lmaoo (if there are pls tell me, i'll correct them).
> 
> If you liked it, please leave some kudos/a comment, I swear it helps a lot.
> 
> Also, I know I usually tell you when i’ll post the next chapter, but this time i don’t really know. All I know is that I promise you I will finish it. I’ll try to post chapter two next week. Thank you for everything, and see you next time!
> 
> Stay safe,
> 
> -Jo (@samludgay on twitter)


	2. New Case

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I hope you're all doing okay. I'm back with chapter 2 :) I hope you'll like it, enjoy!

“I know it might seem like nothing, but he got me this cute little pen for my birthday, and it means the world to me.” said Garcia to Luke, staring at her brand new fuzzy pink pen. She was sitting on his desk, waiting for a new case. 

“You miss Derek, don’t you?”

“All the time. He’s my best friend and it’s hard to work without him, I miss the cute nicknames we used to call each other”.

“Yeah...I’ve heard about that, didn’t you call Derek something in front of your old boss”

“Okay, I had no idea I was on speaker that day”

“And didn’t they host a sexual harassment intervention because of you two?”

“People didn’t understand our dynamic, and it wasn't our fault, they’re just close-minded. But yeah, I miss working with him, he made me a better person, a better agent. Sometimes I feel like I’m not as good as I used to be.”

“Do you want my opinion?” asked Luke, turning on his seat. 

“Sure, shoot”

“You’re incredible, you’re doing great. You’re still at your best, trust me.”

Garcia giggled. “Thanks.” 

“Do you want me to call you cute nicknames? Like...Hot angel? Beautiful unicorn?”

“No offence Luke, but you’re terrible at this. Please don’t. Just call me Garcia.”

“Okay” Luke shrugged “It’s your loss”.

Then something caught Garcia’s eye. She turned to Emily’s office. She could see she was sitting on her desk, facing JJ. They were talking about something, it seemed important. A rush of hope went through her veins. 

“Are you okay?” Asked Luke. 

“Yes, it’s JJ and Emily” she said, pointing at them. 

“What do you think they’re talking about?”

“Do you think they’re finally….” asked Garcia with a smirk. 

“They’re finally what?” Luke seemed confused, to the surprise of Garcia. 

“What? Luke Alvez, I thought you were a profiler.”

“I am, what’s the connexion?”

“Don’t tell me you never noticed the way they look at each other, the way JJ is always worried for Emily, the way they always hug? C’mon Luke”

“That’s...I had never noticed.”

“Trust me, one day I’ll be JJ’s maid of honor at their wedding.”

“You seem sure of yourself”

“JJ’s my best friend. I know her better than she knows herself”. 

“If you say so.” 

JJ’s voice ended their conversation. 

“Guys, new case” she said, waving the pile of files she was holding. 

A few minutes later, everyone was sitting in the conference room at the round table. JJ turned on the screen with the remote. 

“I’m having serious Agent Jareau, communications liaison flashbacks.” said Garcia. 

“It’s because for this case, I’m stepping down. I need a break from the field, and Emily agreed.”

“I’m sure she did” said Garcia, raising an eyebrow. 

JJ frowned, confused. But she quickly came back to what she was saying. 

“Three young men killed in three weeks, overdose. The remains were all found under a tree at different places outside DC.”

The screen showed the body of the first victim, the body was placed near a tree, the body had already started decomposing. 

“The first victim is Caleb Richardson, he was twenty-two years old. He was a student in linguistics at Georgetown university. He was found three weeks ago. He died of an Adderall overdose.” 

“Could it be an accident?” asked Matt “Students use this drug a lot to stay awake and study more, especially when they’re under a lot of pressure. Maybe he took too much?”

“He was found outside of DC, with nothing with him. There were traces of blunt force trauma on Caleb's skull and ligature marks on his wrists. The chances of an accident are pretty unlikely.” 

“What about the others?” Asked Tara. 

JJ pressed a button on the remote, and two other faces and bodies appeared on the screen. “The second victim was found two weeks ago, it was Christopher Moore, he was twenty-three and also a student. He studied biology at Georgetown. He had the same injuries and died of an Aderrall overdose as well. The third victim was Nick Adams. He was twenty two, a student at the George Washington University School of Medicine. They found him a few days ago. He was the son of congressman Daniel Adams. He might be the target, the unsub called Daniel Adams after each murders, telling him that if he didn’t resign they would keep killing. And when he didn’t take it seriously, they killed his son. The last phone call was the same as the other twos, telling him that it was his fault they had died, and that he was gonna keep doing it.” 

“Definitely not an accident then” said Matt, looking at the file.

“No”

“And who called us?” Asked Luke, flipping through the file’s pages. 

“It’s a little unusual. The FBI is already investigating this, along with a team of scientists at the Jeffersonian Institute. But the congressman is pressuring them into closing this case as soon as possible, and they need our help. The federal prosecutor on the case called me and got me an official request, we’re ready to go. We’ll conduct the investigation from the Jeffersonian institute, where the remains were transferred. We’re going to have to work with all of them. Caroline told me it’s not going to be easy, but they really need us. Also Garcia, it’d be great if you were there with us”

“I would love to” replied the tech analyst, “As long as I don’t have to interact with the dead people, I never know what to say to them.”

JJ chuckled. “Noted”

“Who are they?” asked Spencer.

JJ looked at the file, trying to find the names “Hum.. Agent Seeley Booth, Dr Temperance Brennan, Dr Camille Saroyan and a bunch of other doctors”

“Temperance Brennan? The world’s best forensic anthropologist?” asked Tara, visibly surprised. “We’re gonna meet her?”

“Do you know her?” 

“Oh yeah. I attended a few of her lectures a few years ago. She’s incredible. This case is definitely gonna be interesting.” said Tara, smiling.

“Then let’s go” said Rossi, getting up from his chair, followed by everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That it's for chapter 2! I hope you liked it, if you did please leave some kudos/a comment, it really helps a lot.   
> It's been a little hard to write lately, but i'm doing my best, i'll try to post chapter 3 in a week or so :)  
> See you next week!
> 
> Stay safe, 
> 
> -Jo (@samludgay on twitter)


	3. Don't Call Me Bones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here's chapter 3 :) I just wanted to let you know once again that i'm not a scientist nor a police officer, and i'm definitely not into computers so...yeah I try to do my research but sometimes I have to improvise so be nice haha. 
> 
> Enjoy!

When the BAU team entered the lab at the Jeffersonian Institute, everyone looked around, curious. Garcia was pinching her nose, afraid of the smell she might be exposed to. She could never get used to the smell of a dead body, and she didn’t want to make a bad first impression by barfing in the garbage can. 

They saw a woman working on the remains with a younger man. JJ recognized Caroline, who was walking towards them. They shook hands. 

“I’m so glad you and your team agreed to help us.”

JJ turned around and faced the team. “It’s Caroline Julian, the federal prosecutor of this case.” 

“Booth, cheri, they’re here.” Yelled Caroline when she saw a man in a tie talking to the doctor. “Come over here”. 

The man whispered something to the woman next to him as they got off the platform. 

“Hi, I’m special Agent Booth, and this is Bones”. 

“Don’t call me Bones.” said the woman, “I’m Dr. Temperance Brennan”. 

When everyone was done introducing themselves, Caroline showed the table where they could settle in. Dr Brennan and Agent Booth started briefing them about the case. 

“I believe you’re familiar with the case?” Asked Dr Brennan. 

“Yes, Caroline sent me the file”

“They were all found under a tree, but the sun and the animals around made the remains deteriorate faster than usual. They were knocked out and tied up before they were killed. Our bug guy found some bugs that told him the victims were dead for at least twelve hours before the body was moved and placed under a tree”

Hodgins, who was passing by, stopped. “Actually, I didn’t find some random bugs and made them talk to me. Agent Booth just doesn’t understand the value of my work”

“I do, it’s just weird”

“It’s not”

“Kids, behave” said Caroline. 

“So, as I was saying, it wasn’t just random bugs. I found blowflies, otherwise called  _ calliphoridae _ . They’re attracted to body fluids. They lay eggs within two days after the death, but it can be sooner. In this case, it only took them twelve hours. I came to the conclusion that the victims were killed inside, in a place that’s not well isolated, there was a lot of humidity. And it means that the body was moved after the bowflies laid eggs.”

“That’s...I can’t believe you were able to figure out that with just a fly.” 

“That’s what he does...bug guy” said Booth. 

Hodgins left, going back to his work. 

“So their bodies were moved, and they died of Adderall overdose, right?” Asked Emily. 

“Adderall is a strong central nervous system stimulant commonly prescribed for ADHD. It is often used by students that don’t suffer from ADHD because they think it can help them stay awake and alert in order to complete coursework and to study for tests. Which is not necessarily true, especially when they start to get used to the drug” said Brennan. 

Reid raised his hand and said “In fact, the annual prevalence of amphetamine use among college students was 8.6 percent in 2018”

As usual, the team expected the other team to be impressed by Spencer’s intelligence. “Yes, he’s our personal genius” said Luke. Usually, people were impressed by him, but it wasn’t the case here. .

Brennan frowned and replied “Actually Mr Reid, according to a study conducted by The National Institute on Drug Abuse, it wasn’t 8.6 but 8.5 percent.” 

Booth started laughing “And she’s my genius”. 

Brennan couldn’t help but smile at the compliment from her partner. 

“Actually, it’s doctor Reid…” whispered Reid, but nobody paid attention to him. They were too surprised that somebody had actually outsmarted him.

“Could the unsub be their drug dealer? Maybe they couldn’t pay anymore so he killed them?” 

“Adderall can be really expensive, if it was the drug dealer, he wouldn’t have wasted drugs to kill them.”

“Unsub?” asked Booth. 

“Unknown subject” answered Rossi. 

“Why don’t you just call them a killer ?” said Booth, already annoyed. 

“Technically, they’re not just a killer, for example they’re also a kidnapper, and it’s easier not to qualify them yet, unsub is a more general term, it’s the person that commited the crimes. And sometimes, when you’re dealing with a narcissistic unsub, they want to be called a killer. That’s why we don’t use it, and we don’t give them a nickname, it’s even worse. Also law enforcement has a tendency to talk about suspects, but you talk about a suspect when you have a name. It can or can’t be the unsub you’re looking for.”

He mumbled “I’ve always used killer, and I’ll keep using it.” 

Emily could sense the tension between everyone, so she started dividing the team. “Luke and Matt, you’re gonna go with Booth where the remains were found”

Booth, with his hands on his hips, interrupted her “But we swiped everything, we found everything there was to find and all the evidence was brought back here”

“Actually, it’s not about the remains themselves, it’s more about the locations, the surroundings, to try and figure out who the unsub is” said Matt.

Booth rolled his eyes, but before he could say anything, Caroline poked him in the ribs. “Don’t be a baby, give them a chance” she whispered. 

“So as I said, Luke and Matt you can go with Booth. Reid and Rossi, you’ll stay with Dr Hodgins, he might be able to help you. JJ, you’ll stay with Dr. Brennan.”

“I’d like to stay on my own” said the doctor, without even looking at them. 

“Okay, then you’ll stay with Mr... Nigel-Murray is it?”

“Yes, indeed” said a young man smiling. 

JJ smiled back at him. 

“Tara, you’ll work with Dr Sweets, if I understood correctly, he might already have some insight that could help with establishing the profile. And I’ll go and have a talk with Dr. Saroyan”. 

Everyone parted ways, going to work. 

Garcia walked to Angela’s office. The woman was so captivated by her work that she didn’t hear the tech analyst walk. 

“Excuse me?”

Angela jumped and turned around. 

“Oh, hi! You’re Penelope Garcia, right?” 

“Yes, yes I am, but you can call me Garcia, Genius, Master of the universe, Unicorns Enthusiast, just not Babygirl, it is reserved to one person only. And you’re Angela Montenegro?”

“Oh, okay” chuckled Angela “I think Garcia will be fine with me at first”

“We never know what the future holds for us”

“And yes, you can call me Angela”

“Angela, nice to meet you”

“Nice to meet you” 

The two women shook hands. 

“So, you’re the BAU’s tech analyst? What do you do exactly?”

“Well, I’m a genius when it comes to computers, I can hack basically everything, which is one of the reasons why they hired me. I can find out any information about people, unseal criminal records, medical records, just yeah, anything. Also I occasionally get shot or kidnapped, but that’s not on a regular basis.”

“That’s….Okay” Angela laughed. “You are a very special person. I like that”

“Thank you. And what about you? What do you do here? You don’t seem like a scientist.”

“Thank you. I’m not, I’m an artist. But I specialized in forensic facial reconstruction, we usually get remains, where we can’t immediately see what the person looks like, and it’s my job to find out. I’m also a computer analyst and I created the Angelatron.”

Garcia’s eyes widened in excitement. “The Angelatron? That seems fancy, what is it?”

“It’s a real-time graphics simulator. For example, using algorythms, I can recreate the murder, find weapons that would correspond with the injuries on the bones, I also use it for facial reconstruction. It can do basically anything”

“You have that? Here? Oh my-”

Angela nodded. “You wanna try it?” 

Garcia, who was speechless nodded frenetically. 

“Follow me.” 

Angela handed Garcia the remote. It was no surprise when Garcia immediately figured out how it worked. She made a few things appear and her jaw dropped, she was like a child on christmas morning looking at all the presents under the tree. 

“Please don’t tell my boyfriend but I think I’m falling in love with you and I would totally marry you right now if you asked me.”

Angela frowned and asked “Are you talking to me or the Angelatron?”

“Yes” said Garcia, still staring at the simulation she had created. 

Angela laughed. It took a few minutes for Garcia to stop playing with her new toy and get to work. 

“So, what do you have?” 

“I’m pretty sure you know that the congressman received three calls from the...unsub? Is that what you guys say?”

“Yes, but you can say suspect or killer, I’m not all serious like them, don’t worry.” 

“So the unsub called the congressman three times, the first two times weren’t recorded, but the third time the congressman didn’t pick up and he left a message. He used a voice changer, but nothing could stop me, and I was able to find his real voice, which led us to figure out that the unsub is white male, he’s about forty years old, and he smokes or smoked a lot.”

“Wow, that’s great! You already learnt a lot about him. Were you able to know from where the unsub made his phone call?” 

“Not yet, I was thinking you could do it?” 

“Sure, just send me all of the data on my laptop and I’ll see what I can do!”

“Perfect”

Angela, in a few clicks, sent the data to Garcia. Garcia started typing on her computer under Angela’s  **_amazed gaze_ ** . 

“This guy is really talented, but I’m better.” She clicked dramatically on the “enter” key of her keyboard and said “Voilà! I was able to triangulate the phone call, he made that call from a phone booth, I can’t believe these still exist, it’s crazy. It’s just outside of DC, we should send the guys there to check it out.” 

“Don’t tell Hodgins but I could totally kiss you right now” said Angela. She picked up her phone to call Booth. 

“Wouldn’t say no” whispered Garcia with a smirk. 

The agent picked up immediately “Booth” 

“Hey Booth, I’m gonna send you the location of a phone booth on your phone, the killer made the phone calls there, could you check it out?”

“Sure, we’re almost done with the last place, we’re gonna go and see what we can find.”

“Perfect, thanks”. 

Booth hung up immediately. Angela noticed Garcia was giggling. 

“What’s going on?” 

“Booth, phone booth. That’s funny”

“I-” Angela shook her head and smiled. “You’re amazing.”

“I know. So, I’m gonna send the voicemail to everyone, so that they can use it to build the profile.”

“Perfect”

“What would they do without us?” said Garcia, smiling. 

“They’d be useless”

“Definitely” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for today! I really hope you liked it, if you did please leave a comment/some kudos it really helps a lot.   
> I'll post chapter 4 next week probably! Once again, I'm sorry it's taking me more time than I thought to write this. 
> 
> Stay safe, 
> 
> -Jo (@samludgay on twitter)


	4. Partners

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I'm back with chapter 4, i hope you'll like it :)

Brennan and Booth decided to spend the evening at the diner. They were supposed to eat there for lunch, but they both got so busy with their work that they forgot to eat. 

Brennan was enjoying her veggie burger while Booth had almost finished his fries. 

“So? What do you think?” he asked his partner. 

“Of this burger? It’s not as good as usual, it’s average.”

“I didn’t mean the burger Bones, I mean the BAU”

“I haven’t had to interact with them today so I can’t say.”

“C’mon, you saw them this morning, don’t tell me you don’t have an opinion”

“I really don’t Booth. Why, do you?”

“Of course I do. I don’t really like them, like I predicted, they act like they’re above us, and I don’t like that. But I have to admit that they actually helped a little.”

“What did they do?” 

“I spent the day with Matt Simmons and Luke Alvez, and they found some things on the field that we missed.”

“I don’t miss anything.”

“Not you, me. I didn’t really looked around when we found the remains, and apparently they found some evidence that could help identify the suspect”

“So you don’t like them, but you think they can help?”

“...yes.” He admitted. 

“Okay.” 

Booth asked “What did you find today?” 

“I re-examined the remains of the first victim with a fresh eye, but there was nothing that I hadn’t seen before. I feel like I’ve found everything, but nothing that could ID the killer. Apparently Hodgins is close to finding out something, and tomorrow I’ll examine the remains again, with the help of Mr Nigel-Murray. I know I’ll find something else, I always do. The answer is always in the bones.” 

They were already done with their food and left the diner. It was late but Brennan didn’t want to take a cab, she wanted to walk a little, and as usual, Booth went with her. He didn’t like knowing she was walking alone in the streets of Washington at night, even though he knew she was totally able to defend herself. He couldn’t help but worry about her. Which made sense, she was his partner. He needed to keep her safe. They walked in silence at first, then Brennan stopped to look at her partner. 

“You’re not going to lose your job, right?” she asked. 

“Why- Why would you say that?” asked Booth, confused. 

“I was here this morning, this congressman seems very angry and Caroline said that your job might get compromised if we don’t solve this case soon enough”. Brennan seemed genuinely worried for her partner. 

“No no Bones, I’m not going to lose my job because I have faith in you, I know you’re going to figure out who did this, and everything is gonna come back to normal, I promise. You’re not getting rid of me this easily.”

“Why would I get rid of you?”

Booth laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Brennan rested her head on her partner as they kept walking on the sidewalk. The nights were still cold, but at that moment, they weren’t cold at all. 

Meanwhile, the only three people left at the Jeffersonian were Cam, still working at her computer and JJ and Emily, trying to establish a profile. The rest of the team had plans, and Emily had dismissed them. JJ and Emily liked working together, they made a good team. They had ordered Chinese, and were listening to the voice message left by the unsub. 

“It’s because of you, you, just you. You made this happen, it’s your fault they’re all dead, it’s your fault your fucking son is dead, and as long as you don’t quit people will keep dying. It’s because of you.” said the voice. 

It was short, but long enough to start making theories. 

“Don’t you think it’s weird?” asked JJ. 

“What?” 

“He’s highly intelligent, I mean Angela and Garcia told us that what he had used to change his voice was something really difficult to accomplish, he managed to kill three young men without getting caught for now, and yet he seems...erratic? He seems desperate and angry and not sure of himself at all.” 

“I see what you mean, it’s definitely unusual. We should talk about it with Tara and Dr Sweets tomorrow. Dr Sweets seems like he knows a lot of things about the unsub.”

“Ladies” said Cam, appearing behind them. 

“Hi Dr Saroyan” said JJ.

“Please call me Cam. I was just wondering if you were going to stay here for long? Because I’m gonna leave soon so I can show you how to close everything if you intend to stay a little bit more.”

“Actually, I’m beat” said JJ “We should probably get some rest”.

“You’re right”. 

They followed the doctor and left the building. They said goodbye to Cam and stayed in front of the building for a few minutes. They didn’t expect for the night to be this cold, they had spent the whole day inside and got used to the temperature inside. The sudden change made JJ shiver. 

“Are you okay?” 

“I’m just cold”

Emily teased her by saying “Lightweight”. 

“I’m not?” JJ acted falsy offended. 

“Do you want my scarf?” she offered. 

JJ’s ego and pride wanted to say no, but her bare neck begged her to say yes. “Okay” she whispered. 

Emily slowly removed her scarf and much to JJ’s surprise, she was the one that wrapped it around her neck gently. “There” she said. 

“So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” said the brunette. 

They hugged, but the kind of hug that lasted longer than usual, and ended by JJ and Emily’s hands touching. It felt natural. As they parted ways, JJ touched the scarf around her neck and buried her nose in it, it smelled like Emily. She smiled softly. 

Garcia and Luke, who were coming back from the diner to get their cars, watched the whole scene. 

“Please tell me you just saw what I saw” said Garcia, gently hitting her friend on the arm, pointing at JJ. 

“Okay, yes I definitely saw that, and you’re totally right.”

“How long do you think until they actually start dating?” 

“A month maybe?” guessed Luke. 

“You’re so naive my sweet boy, they’re definitely going to hook before the end of this case”. 

“Wanna bet?” asked Luke, getting a five dollar bill out of his pocket. 

“I’m so gonna win” said Garcia, shaking her friend’s hand. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for today, i'm sorry it's still hard for me to write, but i'm trying i swear! If you liked it, please leave a comment/some kudos, it helps a lot :)  
> I'll be back with next chapter soon (I can't tell you when though). 
> 
> Stay safe, 
> 
> -Jo (@samludgay on twitter)


	5. Worms & Profile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys :) I'm back with chapter 5, I hope you'll like it!!

The next morning, Booth woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. He sat on his bed and picked up. “Booth”. 

“Jake Garner got kidnapped last night, he’s a student at Georgetown university, his roommate called it in. He looks like the other victims.” 

“It’s gotta be the same guy”

“The BAU is waiting for you at the Jeffersonian”

“Please tell me again why we decided to conduct the investigation from the Jeffersonian and not my office?”

“Because we have everything there and it’s easier, bring your beautiful ass there” said Caroline. 

“And why were they notified before me? I’m the one in charge of the investigation, they’re only here to help.”

“Quit whining cher” said Caroline before hanging up. 

Booth sight and got dressed to meet everyone at the Jeffersonian. 

“So, Jake Garner, 22, is a student at Georgetown, he’s brilliant, he got really good grades at his last exams. His roommate called it in last night when he didn’t come home. Apparently, a man asked him for some tutoring, Jake told him to meet him at the library but according to the library records, they never showed up. His car is still in the parking lot. We didn’t find any sign of struggle which makes us believe that Jake got in the unsub’s car willingly. From what we know from the other victims, we have twenty-four hours to find him alive, we have to act quickly.” said JJ, showing them pictures of the young man. 

Reid and Rossi walked up to Hodgins, who was looking at something in his microscope. 

“What do you have for us, bug boy?” Asked Rossi. 

“Not you too?” said Hodgins, offended. 

Rossi shrugged. 

“I’m just looking at a worm, we found it on the last victim’s body, and I’m pretty sure it travelled with the victim, so I’m trying to figure out where he’s from”

“You can figure out where a simple worm is from? How?” asked Rossi. 

“It’s easy, I just have to listen to him, he’s the one that’s gonna give me all of the answers I need”. 

The older agent rolled his eyes. Hodgins was ready to say something else when he got interrupted by a phone ringing. It was Rossi’s. He didn’t pick up and put it back in his pocket. 

“What is this phone? I’ve never seen it before” asked Reid. 

“My phone died and it was the only phone I had left. But it works perfectly, so why buy a new one?” 

“Is it a Nokia 6150 GSM?” asked Hodgins. 

“How do you know?” 

“I used to have one because I knew people wouldn’t be able to spy on me.” said the scientist seriously. 

“Are you one of these people that think the FBI is spying on us?” asked Reid, curious. 

“Oh no, it’s not the FBI that’s spying on us, they’re not that talented, but please don’t tell Booth, he’s been really susceptible lately. It’s definitely the irish mob or something.” said Hodgins. 

“It’s very unlikely, the only organization capable of doing something this big would be the CIA” said Reid. “And they did that a few times already”

“Actually…” said Rossi “I agree with bug boy, it could be the mob.” 

Reid frowned “Since when are you a conspiracy theorist?”

“Always have been, but I don’t necessarily talk about it”

“Kid, we’re everywhere” said Hodgins, patting Reid’s shoulder. 

Hodgins went back to his microscope just to scream “King of the lab!” which made Rossi jump. “What is wrong with you kid?” he frowned. 

“I’m the king of the lab, you must bow to me.” said Hodgins in a very serious tone, using a fake English accent. 

“Never in a million years, what did you find?” 

“See, like I said, the worm had been on the body longer than the body had been placed under that tree, which meant it was from where he was killed. And worms, as you know, are filled with dirt. So I extracted the dirt from the worm...rest in peace.” Hodgins paused, looking at the ceiling. Spencer looked up, confused. 

“Anyway, I extracted enough dirt to run some tests to find the levels of nitrogen in it, also the pH. It should help us narrow down the search. I’m a genius”. Hodgins took the work that had been cut open and showed it to Rossi and Reid. He said, looking at the worm “Thank you for your service my friend, you will always be remembered.” 

Rossi shook his head and said “I’m too old for this” as he turned around and walked away. 

Hodgins frowned “What did I say?” 

“Don’t worry, he’s like that sometimes” replied Reid. 

Meanwhile, Tara and Sweets were sitting at the table upstairs, talking. 

“The victims were placed under a tree. It’s pretty significant. A tree is a beautiful, living memorial, it’s a living organism that can grow and thrive and keep your memory present with your loved ones. It’s something that cleans the air, it provides oxygen, it’s a symbol of life. And trees heal.” said Sweets. 

“He probably had a lot of regrets, he placed them under the tree as a sign of respect somehow. It’s his own way of honoring their deaths. It’s like he wants them to rest in peace even though he killed them.” 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he had lost someone recently”

“Definitely”

“You know, I’m surprised you didn’t ask me how old I was” said Sweets, out of the blue. 

“Why?” Tara frowned. 

“Because usually people don’t take me seriously at first, because I’m so young” 

“I don’t judge on the age of the person in front of me, it’s what they’re saying that matters”

“Thanks” said Sweets, smiling softly. 

They got interrupted by Rossi, who sat next to them. “Do you need company?” he asked. 

“Weren’t you with Hodgins?” asked Sweets. “Did he find anything?”

“Something related to dirt, nitrogen and pH or something. What were you talking about?”

“We think the unsub lost someone recently, and he regrets the killings afterwards, that’s why he placed them under a tree.” said Sweets

“I think he wants them to be found, he wants their families to bury them properly, he really wants to bring them peace. He doesn’t really care about getting caught, the person he lost was probably the only thing he had. The only thing he wants is the congressman, it has to have something to do with the congressman.” replied Rossi, following their theory. 

“He killed them with drugs, it’s not the smartest way to kill, he could have chosen a lot of things, but he chose drugs. We need to find what links congressman Daniels to drugs.” said Tara.

“I’m gonna call Garcia and ask her to find every bill that was passed ever since Adam Daniels has been in congress.” said the older agent, getting his phone out of his pocket.

Sweets frowned “Or...you could just go see her? She’s still with Angela” 

“Right right, forgot she was here with us” said Rossi before leaving the room. 

“Let me consult with my team, but as soon as Garcia finds the link, we’re ready to give the profile.”

“Can I participate?” asked the doctor. 

“Of course, you gave us a lot of useful informations”

Sweets started smiling as Tara left to go talk to Emily and JJ, who were taking a small coffee break. They were giggling and smiling at each other. Tara rolled her eyes and smiled as she walked away, leaving them alone for a few minutes. 

“So….There were only three bills that passed in the last year regarding the use of drugs, and I think I found the one that probably pissed off the unsub.” said Garcia, typing on her keyboard. 

“What is it?” asked Angela, standing next to Rossi. 

“It’s the H.R. 657, to allow the access to a numerous amount of drugs, including adderall. Basically, it made it easier for people to buy drugs and especially college kids.”

“This is definitely what made the unsub angry” said Angela. 

“I think I know what happened, we’re ready to give the profile.” said Rossi. 

A few minutes later, the BAU and Sweets were standing on the platform. The whole Jeffersonian Institute staff was here to observe and Garcia was holding her tablet, facetiming with the FBI headquarters and the police station.

Emily took the floor “The person we’re looking for is a white male in his mid-forties. He most likely lives alone, he’s single, he’s either divorced or a widower.”

“He doesn’t stand out in a crowd, he’s someone you wouldn’t notice. He lurs young men out of the city, using the excuse of tutoring. He acts like he’s also a student in college.” continued Matt. 

“A few months ago, the unsub suffered from a psychotic break. He lost someone close to him. He’s looking for a surrogate. Considering the age difference with his victims, we believe her lost his son or someone he considered a son. He blames the congressman Daniel Adams for the death of that person. After each murders, he called the congressman, blaming him for the death of his victims.” said Tara. 

“Five months ago, the congress passed a bill that made it easier for college students to have access to drugs. The person he lost most likely ODed on Adderall, just like the victims. He was also probably a young man going to school in Virginia.” said Rossi. 

It was Sweets’ turn. He couldn’t help but smile. He looked at Booth and Brennan, and the rest of the team. They seemed proud of him, and Booth gave him the thumbs up. “Like we said, he’s looking for a surrogate. But when he realizes that the person in front of him isn’t that person, he kills him and starts looking for someone else. He will never stop looking for him. For every victim’s death, the unsub re-lives the pain of the loss of that person. He places them under a tree as a sign of regret and grief. He’s in pain, and won’t hesitate to take his own life and the life of the young man he just abducted if he feels trapped.”

“He lives in a secluded area and knows the surroundings, he most likely lived there for his whole life. He has a low-income job, he feels underappreciated and feels like no one listens to him, no one tries to understand his pain.” finished JJ.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for today! I hope you liked it, if you did please leave comment/some kudos, I can't even explain to you how much it motivates me, especially lately. 
> 
> Stay safe, 
> 
> -Jo (@samludgay on twitter)


	6. Mr Reid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys! I'm back with chapter 6, i hope you'll like it :)

Right after the BAU team gave the profile, Booth gathered his team. 

“So? What do you think about them?” he asked. 

“They’re brilliant, but I still think they’re not going to be useful, the bones are always the ones leading to the truth.” Brennan shrugged. 

“I don’t mind, they’re pretty cool, and none of them triggered my anger issues yet so that means they’re good people.” said Hodgins. 

“I love Garcia, and I gotta say….Luke is pretty hot.” said Angela, winking at Brennan. 

Hodgins turned around, snapping the rubber band around his wrist “Yup, don’t like them anymore, I gotta go back to work” and walked away. 

Angela laughed and went after him. 

“On my end, I like them, I think that it’s good to get a different point of view and we could maybe learn something new. What about you Seeley? Have you changed your mind about them?” asked Cam.

“I mean, maybe a little bit. They’re less annoying than I thought.” he shrugged. 

“We should all get back to work if we want to save this boy” said Cam before going back to her desk. 

Emily was waiting for her, looking at the pictures of a body. It was the last victim. He wasn’t all bones yet. 

“So, this is what you do?” she asked when she saw Cam was here. 

“Yes, I’m the first one to examine the body before cleaning the bones and giving them to doctor Brennant.” 

“What did you find on him?” she asked, pointing at the pictures

“Not a lot of things, I looked at his stomach content, like the two other victims, he ate a few hours prior to his death, which means the person that kidnapped him also fed him. I found pasta, tomatoes, salad, redbull, pretty basic things for a young man his age, nothing that could help us more than the fact that he was fed.” 

“Did you do a blood work?” 

“Of course. Except for the adderall, I didn’t find anything, he was completely clean. No alcohol, no other drugs, he didn’t even take ibuprofen.” 

Cam’s phone, who was right next to Emily rang. The woman couldn’t help but see that she got a text message from someone. 

“I think you have a text” she said, handing Cam her phone. 

“Oh, thanks.” Cam unlocked her phone. She sighed as she read the text. 

“Everything okay?” 

“Yes, yes, it’s just Michelle, my daughter.”

“Oh, you have a daughter?” 

“Yes, she’s a senior in high school, and she’s been really distant lately, I don’t know why”

“It happens, she’s a kid, they always try to distance themselves from their parents at some point, thinking it’s what it means to grow up, but she’ll soon realize it isn’t true and come back to you. I wouldn’t worry too much about that.”

“Yeah...too late. Do you have any kids?” 

“No, not yet, but I’d like to have one someday. Soon, hopefully. I just need someone in my life to do so, I don’t think I could do it alone”

“I know what you mean.”

Emily glanced at JJ, standing on the platform, talking to the intern. 

“How do you ask a coworker out without crossing a line?”

“What?” asked Cam, confused. 

Emily realized what she had just said and her cheeks turned red. “Please don’t tell me I just said that out loud. Just forget you ever heard that”. 

Cam chuckled. “Who do you want to ask out? Agent Alvez? You’d look great together”. 

“Oh god no, not him” said Emily, shaking her head. “The blond one”. 

Cam frowned, she had seen the whole team and she hadn’t seen a blond agent. But then, her eyes landed on JJ, and she understood immediately. “Oh! Oh wow! I’m so sorry, I thought-” 

It was Emily’s turn to chuckle. “Don’t worry, it’s okay.” She turned around, looking at the pictures again. “Did you find anything else? Maybe something on his skin?”

“No, nothing, he was as clean as a dead body left in nature could be. I only found where the killer put the needle, there was no sign of struggle, which meant the killer probably injected them with the drug not so long after knocking them out.” Cam paused for a second, and said “If you both like each other, just ask her out, you’ll see, there’s no such line in real life. Just make sure you’re both on the same page, that’s all”. 

Emily stopped looking at the pictures and looked at JJ again. She seemed to be laughing, even from a distance, Emily could see JJ’s eyes were shining. She was her ray of light. 

  
  
  


“So? What is it exactly that you do?” asked Vincent to JJ as he was looking at the bones on the table. 

“I’m a profiler, and I used to be the communications liaison, and I decided to go back to that position for a little while. I’m the one that talks to the media, I also deal with the families and the local authorities. Which explains why for now I don’t have a lot of things to do.”

“Did you know that pigeons can tell the difference between a painting by Monet and Picasso?” 

JJ frowned, confused. “What?” 

Hodgins, who was passing by said “Yeah, he does that sometimes, just nod and smile, nod and smile”. 

JJ laughed and stopped when she looked at Vincent, who was visibly proud of what he had just said. She just smiled at him. 

“I actually didn’t know that.” she said. 

JJ heard a beeping noise and turned around, Dr Brennan was joining them. She approached the table where the bones of the last victim were. JJ asked “Can I do anything to help?” 

Brennan looked at her and frowned, as if she was surprised the agent had just asked her that. “You’re not a doctor nor a scientist, hence I don’t need any help from you”. She could see that JJ really wanted to be useful, so she said “you can observe, just... Don’t touch anything”. 

“Will do” said JJ, putting her hands in the air and taking a step back. 

“Mr Nigel-Murray, what did you find concerning the injury on the skull of the last victim?” asked the doctor. 

“Like the other victims, it clearly shows here that the victim sustained a fracture of the occipital, which suggests that he was struck by the assailant while he was walking away. The fracture is shallow and insubstantial, it’s not cause of death but it was strong enough to cause at least a loss of consciousness from five to seven minutes, which is enough time for the killer to tie him up, as we can see with the marks left on both scaphoids and fibulas” Vincent then turned around and explained to JJ “The victim was struck at the back of his head, he lost consciousness, and the unsub tied him up around the wrists and ankles, strongly enough to bruise the bones”. 

JJ nodded, thanking him silently. 

“You missed something Mr Nigel Murray. Look at the injury on the skull, do you notice anything different from the other victims?” asked Brennan. 

Vincent frowned and looked closer. “Yes. Yes I see it now, the other victims were struck with a cylindrical pipe, but here, the marks were caused by something sharper, with an object that has an angle of...90 degrees?” 

“I’m gonna call Booth” said Brennan, turning around. She almost ran into Reid, who was looking for JJ. 

“Dr Brennan, hi.” said Reid. 

“Hi Mister Reid” replied Brennan. 

“Actually...It’s doctor,” said Reid, who was still annoyed by the fact that, ever since the beginning of the case, Dr Brennan hadn’t stopped calling him mister instead of doctor. 

“I will call you doctor when you’ll get your numbers right, Mr Reid” said Brennan, seriously, before dialing her partner’s number and walking away. JJ couldn’t help but chuckle while Reid was just upset. He tried to hide it by adjusting his glasses, but JJ noticed it anyway and put a gentle hand on his arm, without stopping her laughter. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for today! If you liked it, please leave a comment/some kudos (you have no idea how much i need it right now), it really helps. I'll come back in a week of so with chapter 7!
> 
> Stay safe, 
> 
> -Jo (@samludgay)


End file.
